Edhat Staff
Scroll through the above photos by Fritz Olenberger
By edhat staff
Photographer Fritz Olenberger attended the Fiesta Stock Horse Show and Rodeo on Sunday and captured photos of the main events.
The four-day event at the Earl Warren Showgrounds hosted Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) events, including Bareback Riding, Tie-down Roping, Steer Stopping, Mutton Bustin’, Saddle Bronc Riding, PRCA Team Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding.
The Fiesta Stock Horse Show was once a Saturday afternoon only event dating back to 1924 held at the old Pershing Park arena on Castillo Street. During the very first fiestas, a “competencia de vaqueros” was the highlight of the festivities. Cowboys from surrounding ranches came to town to show off their roping and riding skills and the young horses they were training. Rancher J. J. Hollister sponsored a handmade saddle to the winner of the stock horse class as a way to encourage the development of superior cow working horses.
In 1958 the Fiesta Stock Horse Show was moved to the Earl Warren Showgrounds and professional rodeo was added changing the name to the Old Spanish Days Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo.
Rodeo participants must live within the Tri-Counties (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara or Ventura) to be eligible to compete. The goal is to get local amateur horsemen competing among themselves to see who has the best horse, or is the best roper, brander, etc.
However, the most crowd-pleasing event is the mutton bustin’ to watch little cowgirls and cowboys compete on the backs of sheep.
Learn more at www.sbfiestarodeo.org
Highlights? It’s animal abuse.
Whether one appreciates the rodeo or views it as animal abuse-I saw the protestors along the entrance to Earl Warren before the event. One protestor held a sign with the message “F**K Rodeo.” If people want to protest and display signs, can’t they at least offer a more intelligent message?
@2.14, No kidding. Looks rougher on the human than it does on the animal.
Rodeo animals are killed during these abusive exhibitions. The horses, bulls, steer, and calves suffer broken ribs, backs, and legs, torn tails, punctured lungs, internal organ damage, ripped tendons, torn ligaments, snapped necks, and agonizing deaths. There was video on KEYT News years ago, showing the “bucking bronco” being electro-shocked while in the chute, before sending him out to buck. ***The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rules allow the shocking of horses who are slow to come out of the chute.*** Then there’s the cute “mutton busting” part of the rodeo where kids “bust” sheep like adults “break” bucking broncos. You think sheep are meant to be ridden? People think rodeos are fun? Not for the animals they aren’t.
72TORINOMIKE. Was that the only message you took away from seeing the protestors? Do you lead a sheltered life? Does use of the F word offend you? Did that f–k get your attention? You bet it did. I think that protestor’s sign was appropriate and benign compared to what could have been displayed. Maybe you’d rather see a sign showing a calf with its neck snapped or a horse with its leg broken.
Stand on the corner with the protestors for an hour and see how many times drivers and passengers as they speed past scream curse words at the protestors and >>>> flip them off. Isn’t anonymously enacted verbal and middle finger abuse from a passing vehicle just fun, fun, fun? Then notice how many more people honk their horns and yell “Thank you!” and otherwise show their approval of the protest. Rodeos are archaic and doomed. Earl Warren is crying poor now. If the showgrounds folds, then the silver lining is that Santa Barbara finally will be rid of rodeo. Good riddance.
Thanks, Fritz.
You are full of it. The cost of a bucking bull is somewhere between $100-500,000. No one is killing or harming them.
Rodeos are cruel to animals. There is NO getting around that. It’s insane that we still allow this. I look forward to the day when humans start to treat other sentient beings with care and respect. NO MORE RODEOS! Ugh. I could never watch this and be entertained.
I’m assuming you live a vegan and leather-free lifestyle?